Database of willing blood donors in case of emergency

THE BIHAR

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

I would like to invite you to the much awaited quarterly webzine of BIHAR GROUP and BIHAR SOCIETY.

This Webzine will be a quarterly feature. Articles , features, advertisement etc are welcome from all members.

www.facebook.com/groups/bihar

Bihar Society:

PDF format:
https://sites.google.com/site/biharsociety/BiharSociety.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

PPT format:
https://sites.google.com/site/biharsociety/BiharSociety.pptx?attredirects=0&d=1

Social Entrepreneurship Jobs
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aOhsgnIyHTUTBWXN0GBikmX5ny-LciDScAeWjzCvzD0/edit?hl=en#

THE BIHAR

View more documents from Santosh Pandey.

Hit on this blog during Jan 2011

My message to William Dalrymple

Dear Mr. Dalrymple,

First of all I would like to introduce myself. I am a born Bihari (Indian). Today I got very offended after reading your interview in WSJ wherein you quoted " that few would’ve turned up had the festival taken place in Patna". As a Bihari and also a resident of Patna, I would like to ask you on what basis you are spreading such a negative image of Patna?

Bihar & Patna is already suffering from a negative image due to biased Indian media and on the top of that such statement from a Historian and writer of your repute does no good to this image but having an incremental impact on the bad perception.

Few year back ( in 2007) also you had given similar statement in Financial Times London regarding Bihar wherein you has given a statement which was about an election in Bihar at a time when there was no election in Bihar. It was extremely negative right from the word go, associating certain reprehensible practices which are culturally far more likely to happen in other states than Bihar.

Some of our fellows Biharis had communicated their apprehensions to you at that time also and you had assured that you will not try to propagate a negative and biased opinion about Bihar any further.

But alas, you did it again this time, and that too without any solid reason. Did you try ever to organise any such thing in PATNA in Bihar? then on what basis such an opinion?

Let me invite you to come to Bihar to get a first hand feel of Bihar/Bihari and our hospitality, culture and warmth. I guarantee that you will be surprised and bowled over.

We are planning to Organize several big festival ( Mahotsava as it is called in HINDI) for example Rajgir Mahotsava, Gaya Mahotsava, Dasrath Manjhi Love Mahotsava, Nalanda Mahotsava, Vikramshila Mahotsava, Patliputra Mahotsava and many more).

The reason for sending this message are not only to communicate to you that we as Biharis are hurt by your irresponsibly statement in international media but also to invite you to have a first hand experience of Bihar so that you can form a more objective and correct opinion about Bihar.

Would also like to invite you to our Facebook Bihar Page and our Volunteer NGO effort for betterment of Bihar. Please see the link below:

a) http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_153744714660549&ap=1
b)http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_188103284536849&ap=1

I also read your clarification that you Love Bihar and hence this invitation to the cause of Bihar. Hope you will reply back or help Bihar rather than only curse and criticize.

regards,

Santosh
Santosh Pandey

Launch of Daily Pilgrimage Service to The Footsteps of Buddha

Date:16-Jan-2011
Press Release: Launch of Daily Pilgrimage Service to The Footsteps of Buddha.

Need for such a service:
Bodhgaya is an international Tourist place and there is a big need to have a safe and comfortable pilgrimage to the footsteps of Buddha – primarily the places in Rajgir and Nalanda. Pilgrims have always looked for a complete solution, which takes care of all their needs. It is a welcome service started by Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) to commemorate 2600th years of Buddha’s enlightenment and it is non-profit in nature.

Main Features
Pilgrimage to various places in Rajgir and Nalanda (details below)
Includes Breakfast, traditional lunch and evening snacks and tea.
Includes Ticket charges of Ropeway, Venuvan, Nalanda Ruins, Xuan Xang Memorial and Nalanda and Bodhgaya Multimedia Museum.
Includes Guide Services
Travel in Air Conditioned Bus
Screening of historical films about History of Rajgir and Nalanda during the journey
Safe and Hassle Free Trip
Relevant books on History of Rajgir and Bodhgaya would be available on the bus (for purchase)

Initial Launch Offer – Rs 750/pax.
Early Bird Advantage Offer – Rs 499/pax (5 rear seats earmarked for this)
Children below the age of 10 – Rs 499/child
Infants up to age 3 – Free
Pilgrims from countries other than Saarc and Bimstec countries would be charged Rs 200 more due to differential entry fees at Nalanda ruins, Xuan Xang Memorial and Venu Van.

Booking Contact Number: 9234876571
Ticket Counter at: Bodhgaya Multimedia Museum
Booking will also be available thru BTMC website – www.mahabodhi.com

Prachin Bharat Tourism Technologies has been engaged as a solution provider








Pilgrimage Itinerary

7AM – Departure from Bodhgaya from the parking lot opposite BTMC.

7AM to 12:30PM
Packed Breakfast will be served onboard.
Places covered: Cylopean Wall, Chariot Wheel Marks, Ropeway ground level, Shanti Stupa, Gridhkuta , Ropeway Ground level back,
Jeevak Mango Grove – Drive thru,Bimbissar Jail, Son Bhandar, Jarasandh Ka Akhara (will get added soon)
Arrive at Nalanda Multimedia Museum for lunch – 12.30 pm

Lunch – 12:30PM - 1.00 PM

1:00PM to 5:00PM
Places covered: Watch Multimedia Show,Xuang Xang Memorial, Nalanda Ruins, Shopping

Depart Nalanda 4.00 PM

Arrive Venuvan 4.30 PM

Departure from Venuvan at 5.00PM and arrive at Bodhgaya at 7:30PM.
Tea/Coffee Snacks





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World Class University and Research Centre in Bihar

Nalanda had a tougher admission process than what Harvard or MIT have today. But it was destroyed and thus began the decline of Bihar,India,Asia and world. The Wheel or History takes a turn, come join the movement and make the future or become history. We don't need to revive Nalanda but the whole atmosphere. Just like Delhi as an Institutional Area which houses, IIT-Delhi, IIFT, ISI,IIFT,Fore etc. We need many ....,

Bihar is the heart, mind and soul of India and Asia. Yoga,Kamasutra, Surgery, Buddha, Mahavira, Guru Gobind Singh were sons of Bihar and Nalanda University is world's greatest and oldest institutions (destroyed and needs reconstruction). Please help Bihar in the quest to reclaim the position as a seat of learning, research and Asian renaissance.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

JOB OPPORNITIES

All Entrepreneurs and job givers, please share a link of your job (just a one liner description and URL, company ka nam, job ke sector aur specialization bhi )

Green Leaf Energy Private Limited
(Email ID: ankit.gle@gmail.com, kumar.ankit@astra.xlri.ac)

In Location will be rural villages in Gaya, Nawada, Aurangabad & nearby places. a) Profile offered: District Co-ordinator b) Profile offered: Nursery Manager, Irrigation Manager, Plantation Manager (Ankit please post a URL for detailed job description)

Bihar Society -

a) Hiring members at most cities of Bihar and India and world (Europe,Japan,Middle-East,UK,USA in multiple functions and roles). No cash salary for short term but will get preference for paid positions in future. Great start-up experience in building a world class organization that we will be proud of. http://www.facebook.com/bihasociety for more details or contact by mail to biharsociety@gmail.com or skype at biharsociety

Affiliate of Bihar Society :

Freelance Volunteer opportunities for people with expertise in Social Media, Website, database admin, project management, event management, project management, fund raising. Projects and roles will be shared between Bihar Society and a NYC based partner organization with global organization. No visa sponsorship and cash payment
Karma Society - a) Hiring volunteers at Patna and in cities/villages of Bihar. Expertise in areas of Cause Marketing, Social Media, Education, Health, Civic Society, Employability Training et b)Advisor to Secy (mix of advisory and administrative roles c) Driver and Operations Manager for Patna HQ of Karma Society (can also work for Bihar Society if bandwidth allows), c) Operations Manager for Karma Society. Contact at +91 612 257 0811. Positions are voluntary but can be paid in few specific situations


Balbhadra Smriti Seva Sansthan -

Computer Trainer based at Bangaon (near Saharsa) for short term assignment (timing flexible per availability and need). Will be paid stipend and fair and reasonable costs. Food , Housing will be arranged as well. Great chance to work at grassroot level. Contact Retd Engineer SriNarayan Khan at sntikkan@gmail.com or +916478232121. Address: Retd Engineer Srinarayan khan. At +PO: Bangaon (west), Dist: Saharsa 852212, Bihar, India

Atul's Friend -

Hiring for a stealth mode start-up based in US with operations, sourcing, supply chain management in the travel, print-supplies domains. Manager to VP level jobs available. Visa sponsorship can be tried but difficult so US based candidates will be preferred. Salary and roles are attractive and negotiable

Bihar Development Trust :

All locations are based at Daudnagar in Aurangabad District. We need an agri graduate to provide extension services to the farmer club members in Daudnagar, Haspura, Obra, Goh etc blocks of Aurangabad District. Its a team leader profile with a team of 10 persons working with farmers in instiution building, sales, marketing and procurement. Besides, we need field officer with good hindi writing ability and decent english reading persons with either matric or intermediate as academic calculation. We need 5 persons to begin with. The requirements are immediate.

IIM Alumni Society:

Need volunteers for a dream project which is in hibernation because of work,family and Bihar project taking up bandwidth. Contact him at atultechatfacebookdotcom. Chance to network with global leaders (IIM Alumni and Friends of IIM). If you are IIM Alumni then great for others will have a limited but meaningful role crafted for your. Requirements are same as (2) above for Bihar Society

Bihar News Dossier 15-Jan 2011

Bihar News Dosier 15-Jan-2011

Publish at Calaméo or browse others.

World Class University and Research Centre in Bihar

Nalanda had a tougher admission process than what Harvard or MIT have today. But it was destroyed and thus began the decline of Bihar,India,Asia and world. The Wheel or History takes a turn, come join the movement and make the future or become history. We don't need to revive Nalanda but the whole atmosphere. Just like Delhi as an Institutional Area which houses, IIT-Delhi, IIFT, ISI,IIFT,Fore etc. We need many ....,

Bihar is the heart, mind and soul of India and Asia. Yoga,Kamasutra, Surgery, Buddha, Mahavira, Guru Gobind Singh were sons of Bihar and Nalanda University is world's greatest and oldest institutions (destroyed and needs reconstruction). Please help Bihar in the quest to reclaim the position as a seat of learning, research and Asian renaissance.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Bihar's Mr Fix-it - Hindustan Times

Bihar's Mr Fix-it - Hindustan Times

Bihar’s Waterman

It took seven years and back-breaking work for Kamaleshwari Singh to dig a pond that would supply water to his village, reports

When water bodies in most villages in southern Bihar are shrinking and drying and villagers have to increasingly seek help from the state government, the story of a frail 63-year-old man has attracted attention from far and wide — mostly, however, from the people and nearly none so far from the Nitish Kumar government.

Kamaleshwari Singh, a semi-literate farmer of Manikpur village in Barh block of Patna district, surprised everyone who came to know of his feat. Over seven years, this man has dug a 60-ft-by-60-ft pond that is 25 ft deep, all by himself, using only a trowel and a bucket. He had to use a trowel, he says, because he could not manage to lift a spade.

Manikpur village, some 100km from the Bihar capital, is a back-of-the-beyond village that, like most villages in the state, has seen no development over the past two decades. Even bicycle tracks are non-existent here, let alone electricity and irrigation facilities in this village that has a population of 2,000 people. But Kamaleshwari’s achievement suddenly pitchforked Manikpur into the list of famous villages in Bihar. The pond he dug out of his farmland has been compared with the achievement of the late Dashrath Manjhi of Gaya district’s Gahlaur village, who carved a wide road from a hill. Manikpur village had no pond before Kamaleshwari decided to get one dug, thereby making a permanent source of water available to the residents of Manikpur.

What makes Kamaleshwari’s achievement more significant is that his initial inspiration for the job and his continued determination to keep digging for seven years came from his frustration with what he calls “nasty village politics”. He was not a participant in village politics. A simple farmer who owned 12 bighas of land 15 years ago and now has only five bighas, he got entangled in the regular tide of crime in his village and surrounding villages. His elder son, who kept fighting pitched battles for supremacy with gangsters in the nearby villages, was killed. Kamaleshwari had to sell seven bighas of his land to fight court cases. Thoroughly disgusted, he once decided not to fight any court cases and to rather concentrate on “something constructive”.

“I always wanted my village Manikpur to have a pond of its own. For years, when I was young, I tried to persuade villagers and even local politicians to help set up a pond in the village. But nobody paid attention to what I said. As I kept witnessing the people of my village finding it difficult to take proper baths and irrigate their farms close to their homes, something kept burning inside me as I was unable to do anything myself. I found myself getting falsely implicated in cases like violent crimes and even a murder in all those years. After losing my 26-year-old elder son, Siyaram, to gang war, I decided to forget all bitterness and start doing something constructive,” Kamaleshwari told TEHELKA. As he started digging for the pond on a field close to his house in the summer of 1996, the sun scorching his bare back and sweat lining his body, the entire village started laughing at him. “Children and elders alike kept looking at me and laughing. They even ridiculed me by calling me ‘Talabi Baba’. My own family tried to restrain me from this work, but I kept ignoring everything and got the pond ready in seven years,” said Kamaleshwari, who studied only up to Class VIII.



The 60-ft-by-60-ft pond has enough water even in summer for the villagers to bathe, wash clothes and feed their cattle. At the height of summer, the water level in the pond remains at over 10 ft, say villagers. “It is a boon that our village has now got a pond. We have only about five hand pumps in the village, so most villagers face difficulty in bathing, washing clothes and preparing cattle-feed. Kamaleshwaribaba’s work has made a big difference to our lives,” said Dinesh Singh, a farmer. In fact, the village, inhabited by people from various upper and lower castes like Rajputs and the Yadavs, has deep and complex caste divisions that disallow people from using one another’s resources. “But there is no caste division in the use of this pond,” says Rakesh Kumar Gupta, a villager. Although a river, the Dagrain, flows just 4km from Manikpur village, its water fails to reach the fields due to the absence of irrigation facilities. So several villagers find this pond a dependable source of water for irrigating their farmland close to it.

Kamaleshwari would start digging from 6 in the morning till about 7 in the evening everyday. “It was never easy to dig a pond with a trowel. I would dig some earth, fill it in the bucket and throw it away. I wanted to dig in the evening, but there was no electricity. There is still no electricity,” laughed Kamaleshwari. His wife, Draupadi Devi, said Kamaleshwari kept toiling at the field even when his family had to face grave financial constraints. “We had run out of nearly all our wealth after getting our three daughters married off. Then the murder of Siyaram and the false cases against my husband made us poorer. Jairam, the younger son, had got no work. But my husband ignored everything,” she said.

Kamaleshwari now lives with his wife, his murdered son’s two widows and three grandchildren. His scarce resources make it difficult for him to make both ends meet. “I want to do fish farming in this pond with the help of villagers so that we get fish to eat and make some money, too. But there has been no offer of help from the government so far despite our requests,” he said. With his love for gardening, he has planted fruit trees around the pond and there are now nearly 40 trees of mangoes, jackfruit and blackberries and some teak trees. The pond site often gets visitors from far and near. Kamaleshwari still works at the pond, trying to prevent it from silting. He still uses his worn-out trowel and bucket to dig earth and deepen the pond.

Even as stories about the pond and the old man’s feat keep being proudly narrated in various meetings of politicians and officials in Patna, local officials and elected leaders have hardly visited the pond. Neither the sarpanch nor the mukhiya have come calling, let alone the MLAs and ministers. There was some talk about recommending his name for felicitation by the government, but nothing has happened so far. “I want some development in this village. We need wires on the electricity poles, good roads and fish in this pond. I want to meet the chief minister at his Janata Ka Durbar in Patna soon,” said Kamaleshwari.

‘I Don’t Have A Switch That I Can Press And Make Things Happen’

It is election year for Bihar and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is feeling comfortable. The big pitch for him is the work ethic he brings to Bihar and its effect. Here, he explains how Bihar is going about the big three – investment, education and hunger – and why he thinks the Centre may not be too helpful.
image

Hunger in Bihar is too basic an issue to be kept aside. We saw a family cooking and eating the skin of a goat. How long will you take to reach this Bihar?
There is great poverty in Bihar. More people live below the poverty line here than what the Central government claims. We have made our assessment and it shows 1.4 crore destitute in Bihar. The Centre says there are 65 lakh people below the poverty line in Bihar. If we have to reach the hungry, the biggest thing is to have clarity on poverty.

So, how long before the starving get food?

Let me explain how it works. Our teams go by names in the list of families below the poverty line. We say 1.4 crore names must be on the list. The Centre says there are 65 lakh people. How can I reach these people when we cannot agree on how many destitute there are? The states don’t run the PDS. It all depends on the Central government. If the poor are to get subsidised food so they don’t eat animal skin, we must agree on who to reach. We are the sufferers. I wrote to the Centre on a food security law.

I told them to identify the BPL families if they are not satisfied with our surveys. But, it cannot be that the Centre takes the credit for a food security law and we get the abuses because people say their names are not on the list of BPL families.

Fresh investment can infuse life into an underdeveloped economy. Bihar is making a serious pitch but the big investors don’t seem to be coming. Why is this so?
Big investors are interested in two areas in Bihar: thermal power and ethanol. Thermal power plants cannot come up without coal. Coal needs water and water is a state issue. But now, they have started a new system of seeking clearance from the central water resources ministry. This ministry has said that the Ganga basin water will not be available for coal. In Bihar, there is only the Ganga basin. What else is there?

If they object to water for thermal plants, how can investments come? Likewise, the proposal to make ethanol from sugarcane is pending with the Centre since 2007. Things are not moving because of the Centre.

Investors say land is a problem in Bihar. They also say you are too cautious a chief minister to help.

Why should I acquire land for them? We are acquiring land for roads, railways and bridges. We are offering heavy compensation for that. We are acquiring far more land now than in the past for public purposes. As far as private investors are concerned, we ask them to negotiate on their own. If we get into the picture, there will be two issues. One, the land cost will be more because we acquire after paying a hefty compensation. Therefore, our land will include the charges we pay for acquiring and the development cost. Secondly, we can only offer land on lease. If the private investors negotiate on their own, they can get the land title on their name. Besides, [West] Bengal is next door. Haven’t Nandigram and Singur happened there? You may have met the window shoppers, who are not really interested. They look for alibis. No real investor has asked us to acquire land. Only the non-serious investors are complaining.

Education is another primary issue. You grew up as a child in Bihar. How is it different for children now?
The biggest change is that we are sending children to school. There were 25 lakh children out of school when we came to power. Now, that figure has come down to less than eight lakh. The second change is that we are trying to offer them quality education once they are in school so that attendance improves. We must have good midday meals and good teachers to improve attendance. So, we are focusing on teacher training and management of midday meals. We have just begun training 40,000 teachers with the help of IGNOU. You must remember that I don’t have a switch that I can press and make things happen. We can only tackle things one by one.

Things are better than in the past, but we have to do far more. We have been successful in getting girls into schools by giving them school dresses and money. We began giving bicycles to high school students, boys and girls. All students between Classes 3 and 5 are given Rs 500 a year, whichever community they come from, for school uniform.

Once in school, the intelligence levels of children become a factor. There appears to be a lack of intellectual capacity in Bihar today.
This is not a Bihar-centric problem. You will find it elsewhere also. The whole country lacks intellectual depth. But, the children of Bihar are ahead of others in learning languages and math. I’d like to remind you that we have only now begun to work in Bihar. People had lost the habit of working. Now, they are starting to work again. So, don’t look for solutions everywhere. You can’t do third and fourth stage evaluation now.

Our priority was to see that no children stay out of school. We have opened 15,000 new schools and recruited two lakh teachers. Yet, there are eight lakh children still out of school. We found that five lakh are either from Maha Dalit families or from the Muslim community. They need special care.

We have opened centres where we keep these children and prepare them for school. All this requires constant effort. There was no effort all these years. It has only begun now.

The branding of Bihar appears to be getting stronger outside India. Are you opening up Bihar to Mauritius? Is this a new trend for Bihar, tying up with a foreign country?
We are doing a lot with Mauritius. They will have a consulate here. We are willing to provide land and they are willing to open an office. Close to half the people in Mauritius are of Bihari origin. I have told the central government all this. The External Affairs Ministry now has to take the initiative with protocol.

How will it play out?
People from Mauritius want to trace their roots. We are ready to help them. The Mauritius Prime Minister came here and opened schools and hospitals.

Family plays a disproportionate role in Indian politics. The way you deal with family is different from many other politicians. How does it work with you?

Everyone has their way of looking at family and politics. I am also a perfect family man but what has that got to do with anything? When you get into politics, you must treat everyone as a family member. There isn’t a human being on earth without a family. But how does that matter? We have to be faithful to the duty and the opportunity we have got. I think many people have a sense of insecurity. They feel they will be secure only if their family gets empowered. I have no insecurity. I know death is imminent in everybody’s life. Why get insecure?
From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 7, Issue 05, Dated February 06, 2010

BIHAR - Try Me Now Society

EVERYONE IS CALLING NITISH KUMAR THE DECADE’S BIGGEST TRANSFORMER. VIJAY SIMHA AND PHOTOGRAPHER VIJAY PANDEY MOTOR ACROSS THE RUGGED STATE TO SNIFF AT THE WINDS OF CHANGE

BY THE time Omer Hejazeen walked into the secretariat at Patna, he was already cursing the day he agreed to return to Bihar. Months ago, he met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was by then searching for people of Bihari origin to help him save Bihar. As Omer recalled, Nitish Kumar was kind during the meeting and asked him to have a look at Bihar. Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi too was in the room. Something about the manner in which they spoke and looked at him made Omer agree to the trip. From Dubai he took his 122nd flight for the year, and reached Patna.

The first sight of Patna can hit hard. The city is about 2,500 years old and had nurtured human thought and progress for several centuries. It was called Pataliputra then. Now, there are far too many people on the roads, and too much jostling and yelling. There are cycle-rickshaws everywhere, with people bent low as they pull the load in a mighty effort. There is a musty smell. There’s a sense that the city is straining. Too much has been taken from them. Too little given back. Good lord, thought Omer, nothing has changed. He had left Patna 22 years ago and it was still the same.

He stepped into the secretariat in deep blue trousers and jacket, shining black shoes, white shirt and red tie. He was surprised when he was stopped and asked for the purpose of his visit. “Wow, I thought. They were controlling the crowds. It was the first sign of professionalism for me. I looked around and saw no white or khadi,” says Omer. He walked into the chief minister’s chambers. “I told him I didn’t find any change in Bihar. Nitish Kumar looked at me and said he had not told the people of Bihar anything. But, he said, he had made a commitment to himself. He would change Bihar. It was the second time Nitish Kumar impressed me. I thought the man had guts,” says Omer.

NITISH KUMAR asked Omer what he could do for Bihar. The chief minister said there were thousands of Bihari workers in the Gulf. “He asked me to think about what I could offer. He told me to pick a sector and invest,” recalls Omer. A day later, Omer had a plan. There are about 10,000 Biharis who work as unskilled labour in the Gulf region after having completed school education. Omer thought he could provide vocational training to such people; offer degrees in technical courses, so they could earn more and live better.
LALU WAS A MAN OF THE PEOPLE, A PR DREAM. HE RULED BY INSTINCT. NITISH IS A BUREAUCRAT’S DREAM. HE RULES BY REASON

Having a plan in Bihar may mean little. For it to be acted upon, you need land. And land in Bihar is a tale. In 1786, Lord Cornwallis was appointed the Governor-General of India and Commander- in-Chief of Bengal. He set about changing the judicial and revenue systems in India. Bihar, as part of eastern India, was among the first areas Cornwallis looked at. He introduced the Permanent Settlement system, essentially retaining the then existing ownership of land. He gave the owners, or zamindars, the right to collect tax from the tenants on the land and pass it on to the East India Company.

The amount of tax was fixed. For instance, a zamindar may have paid Rs 1 lakh for an agreed number of villages or districts, for decades. This resulted in a permanent settlement between the zamindars and the East India Company. Over time, the land a zamindar owned was divided between his children and so it carried on for generations. The state barely intervened.

Nitish Kumar tends to stay off land as well. So, the state of Bihar does not acquire land for private investors. If Omer had to set up a technical education hub, he needed to buy land. “Nitish Kumar had suggested I take over an ITI (Industrial Training Institute) and run it profitably. We went to Darbhanga (north-central Bihar) and found that the teachers were not paid for months. The machines were expensive and unused. It looked like there would be plenty of hiccups in running an ITI. So we thought, why don’t we set up something on our own? We registered a family trust and began to buy land in Darbhanga,” says Omer.

Land holdings are not huge in this part of Bihar. Thus, an entrepreneur may need to engage with several owners. It is a tiresome process and can easily go wrong. “One of the farmers wanted Rs 3 lakh more. He said he had to pay his daughter’s dowry. This came after we paid him the agreed amount for his land. It was holding us up. Finally, we gave him the money,” says Omer. Eventually, Omer says, his trust bought 32 acres at Rs 15 lakh an acre. This, in turn, created complications.
imageDIPANKAR BHATTACHARYA, CPI-ML General Secretary
LALU’S 15 YEARS WERE SYNONYMOUS WITH STAGNATION. NOW THERE IS A DECLINE IN BIG CRIME’

“Things are exaggerated in small towns. There were two immediate effects of our buying the land. First, people thought I have a money tree. My parents warned that I was now a prime kidnapping target. At first, we hired local security guards. But this caused me discomfort. I hated the culture of walking around with gun-toting guards. I have seen people do this in Africa and Sri Lanka. I never liked it. I also had no privacy. The guards heard everything I discussed. I got rid of them and applied for a licence to carry a gun. The second effect was an increase in land price. Soon after we bought land, the price went up to Rs 18 lakh an acre,” says Omer.

Darbhanga is a desperately poor town. The lanes are filthy, the drains overflow, the roads are rickety, the universities are the size of small government offices and the jobs are few. To reach his proposed college of technical education, Omer needed roads. It is one thing to make people enrol in a college. To make them get there is another thing altogether. Omer has used his 22 years outside India well. He does production in films, television and radio. He does public relations. He deals in arms. In Darbhanga, he got into construction.

“If I have to come here, I have to feel comfortable. The roads in Darbhanga are very bad. So we registered a company again and started working on roads and buildings.” Okpet Construction & Services Pvt. Ltd., the new company, is laying 21 km of road in a part of Darbhanga with extremely poor access. It will cost Omer Rs 12 crore. He hopes to make a profit of Rs 2 crore from this road.

Portions of Darbhanga are buzzing with activity, of which Omer’s company is only a part. The State is building bridges and laying roads inside Darbhanga, the Centre is laying national highways, and the poor have something to do. Finally, it appears, at least a portion of Bihar is awake. Omer has got so much at ease that he is also getting into food processing. He is even comfortable with having to pay what are variously called bribes or office expenses. “It works out to 1.25 per cent of my expenses. If it facilitates my billing and my work, I don’t mind. In the UAE, I have to pay a huge testing fee for the roads. Here, an engineer comes even at night and does the testing. It is only fair that he gets something,” says Omer. In all, he says he has invested Rs 32 crore over three years. In time, he hopes to get it all back and some.

This is new Bihar, where the chief minister talks to a businessman and things get started. Clearing proposals faster is one part of Nitish Kumar’s reform. The other big impact is on law and order. The roads in Patna are noisy and crowded till at least 8.30pm most days. Many ignore the traffic policeman or policewoman. Men tend to drink at roadside shops and kiosks, at times even during the day. People gather in groups to gossip and discuss. The roads have become a place to just be. This enrages drivers who have to squeeze through narrower paths, honking their way through. For the moment though, they are not complaining. They are just happy to be there. The locals say the roads used to empty at sunset in the past. Anyone out after that was fair game for looting, snatching and kidnapping. They say people returning to Patna by train or bus would spend the night at the railway station or bus station if they arrived after 10pm and reach home the next morning.

NOW, THERE is a sense of relief. Some families even catch the 9pm movie show. Mona Cinema, considered the best theatre in Bihar at the moment, draws about a hundred people for the late night show even on some weekdays. Some of them are families. The film world is, therefore, happy. Prakash Jha, filmmaker and entrepreneur, is making big moves. Jha has established his credentials with films like Damul, Gangaajal and Apaharan. He is putting together what he says is Bihar’s first multiplex mall, the P&M Mall, in the heart of Patna’s Pataliputra industrial estate. The mall is coming up where sick units lay earlier. It is expected to be ready by March this year, well in time the premiere of Jha’s new film Rajneeti.

THE MALL has five floors with 59 shops. It will have four cinemas, each seating about a thousand. When operational, the multiplex mall could have 1,200 people going home from the movies every midnight. It should be quite a sight on the roads of Patna. At the moment, 250 labourers work here a day. When ready, the mall could employ many more and trigger a buzz in Patna. In size, the P&M Mall is roughly the same as the parking lot in south Delhi’s Select Citywalk Mall. But for Patna, it is big.

Says Jha: “It has taken four and a half years to reverse the regression of several years. Now, we are getting a better environment for investment. But, private industry will not happen overnight when you have better opportunities in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat or Tamil Nadu.

“The mindset must change. If Biharis don’t buy back into Bihar, why will others? My idea of politics is linked strongly with the economy. Wealth generation is the only thing that can iron out caste and class. I am doing my bit. Apart from the mall, I am starting Bihar’s first fully indigenous television channel, Maurya TV, with production entirely in Patna.”

The filmmaker comes from Bettiah, the headquarters of West Champaran district near the border with Nepal. Bettiah was notorious as the kidnapping capital of Bihar. “Now,” he says, “kidnapping is gone; finished. The law is getting after the big culprits. Nitish has done a great clean-up job.”

Bhojpuri filmstars Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari are happy as well. Kishan, who has acted in 114 films, many in Hindi, is working on the cult classic Devdas in Bhojpuri, set in Patna. He is also lobbying for a film city close to Patna. “We couldn’t travel for shooting at night in the past in Bihar. It used to scare people. Now, the state is breathing. It was choked for a long time. You can see couples at the movies after 8pm. There is a positive energy now. Earlier, Biharis were seen as criminals and duffers. Now, it is our turn. The investors are coming. Local actors from Patna and elsewhere are booked with me in Bhojpuri films every year. We used to operate from Mumbai but now I can assure the state of business if they give us a film city. A hundred Bhojpuri films will be made a year,” says Kishan.

Tiwari, who also sings, says the Bihar government did not respect artistes in the past. “I used to get calls from ministers in the previous government to perform. They would terrorise us. Criminals associated with political parties and the government also used to call. I was afraid of getting hurt. So, I used to perform for them. Now, if the secretariat calls, they ask us for our fee and requirements. Also, location is now granted on priority for shooting and the police provide security,” says Tiwari.

Nitish Kumar is too canny to miss the signs. He senses that the mood could be in his favour and it is beginning to show in his walk and talk. He is Mr Bihar now and he loves it. He calls a cabinet meeting on board a ship in the Ganga, and the local media laps it up. He holds camps in various parts of the state, during which time he also chairs a cabinet meeting on site, and the people applaud. He believes he is heading the biggest reconstruction story in India. He also believes he is right. He is beginning to acquire the same self-righteousness that Lalu Prasad Yadav once had. It led Lalu into a world of his own where he did no wrong. Bihar went into the dark ages but Lalu saw the reverse in his mind.

Everyone in Bihar has an opinion on everything. They are assertive and difficult to dislodge from the positions they hold. It is a curious trait of Bihar, possibly India’s most politically conscious state. Yet, when it comes to governance, Bihar tends to idolise a man at the top and make him think he is above the crowd. Lalu was king once. Nitish is now. Lalu was a man of the people, a PR man’s dream. He could connect. He ruled by instinct. He knew the value of gesture. Nitish is a bureaucrat’s dream. He can perform. He rules by reason. He knows the value of delivery.

IT IS not all hunky dory, however. Most of the buzz is being generated from a 30km belt around Patna. Beyond that, life can be cruel. Niranjan Paswan is the Gaya district secretary of the CPI-ML (Liberation), a Left party that once operated as a guerrilla unit. Gaya is Bihar’s second biggest town after Patna. It also has an airport, which largely caters to the tourists who flock to Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment. Paswan sits in an office covered by asbestos sheets. A television set sits on bricks. Wooden poles support the entire structure. Paswan’s wife and son also work in the same office for the party. He deals mostly with the rural poor, arguably the worst off in Bihar. Working among the deprived, Paswan sees little change in Bihar. “It is a routine with us. We hear of people dying of hunger, we visit them, we make a noise, and the administration says they died of disease. Please tell me where the change is,” he says.

Gajichak village in Gaya’s Dobhi block seems to be a century behind Patna. It is about noon on a Sunday and a boy is stuffing what appears to be the hind portion of a dead goat. Only the skin remains, with the hind legs dangling. There is no flesh. The boy carefully stuffs the carcass with hay. He then gets a fire going. He is joined by a few other children. “He will cook it now,” says Paswan. Apparently, the fire will burn the hair on the goat skin and roast it from the outside. The hay inside, used for the stuffing, will catch fire and cook the skin from the inside. This will be the Sunday meal. Anywhere else, the skin would be chucked as waste. Here, it is a delicacy.

IT IS NOON IN GAYA. A BOY STUFFS A DEAD GOAT WITH HAY AND BURNS IT. THERE IS ONLY SKIN, NO FLESH. YET FOR HIM, IT’S A DELICACY

Kunwa Devi, who lives in the same village, has four children: three girls and a boy. She says she is 35 years old. Her husband used to work in a nearby farm. In May 2009 he died, apparently of hunger. Kunwa Devi says her husband developed a fever, which the local quack said was malaria. There was no money for medicines, so some of the village folk pooled money for the medicines. They ran out of the medicine eventually. Also, there was very little food in the house when her husband couldn’t work because he was ill. She says her husband stopped eating so that the children could eat. “We used to get grass from the jungle to feed him. It was not enough,” she says.

Paswan says Kunwa Devi’s husband died of hunger. The administration says he died of illness. The family lives in a hutment with three small rooms. There are just the walls and a few vessels. There is a small bag of coarse rice, which she says she gets as daily wages when she works in a farm. She gets no money, she says. She has just fed the children with the rice and the gruel that formed while the rice was cooked. She cannot see with her left eye. She says a branch pierced her eye. No one in her family uses footwear. The children’s hair is matted. They haven’t had a bath for days.

Paswan’s boss, Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of the CPIML (Liberation), is in his Patna office. Most political parties in Bihar have their headquarters on the same road, Vir Chand Patel Path, and the CPI-ML is a neighbour of the Bharatiya Janata Party. There is a maze of wires hanging from a plug point, a laptop waits on the table and there is a bonfire going. There is a sudden sharp drizzle before Bhattacharya comes. His wife and daughter are in London, and he spends his life fighting for betterment in the lives of the rural poor and the most economically backward of Bihar. He has been general secretary for 11 years. His party has five members in the legislative assembly.

“It will be wrong to say there has been no change in five years. Lalu’s 15-year reign was synonymous with absolute stagnation. There is a decline in big crime. Some sort of a nationalisation of crime has taken place. The big criminals are earning as much through transport. If you have the state’s coffers open to you, why would you loot and kidnap? Also, the discourse has changed. It has moved from social justice and dignity to good governance and growth,” says Bhattacharya.
IF GUJARAT HAD STARTED FROM THE SAME BASE AS BIHAR, IT WOULD HAVE 40 PER CENT GROWTH. BUT NOW, THERE IS OPTIMISM

“But, there is a big problem. Feudal Bihar is a stubborn survivor. The government will pretend to do land reform but will sit on actual reform. Socially, there is very little progress. Change is not free. You have to pay a big price. For a small change, there has to be a big fight.”

SCHOLARS AND academics find the hype over Bihar’s growth baffling. NK Chaudhary, Professor in Patna University’s Department of Economics, is grappling with a sudden teacher’s strike in the university. “Can you imagine a strike anywhere whose sole demand is payment of salaries on time?” he says. Like many in Bihar, Chaudhary is perplexed at the 11.3 per cent growth figure for Bihar released by the Central Statistical Organisation in New Delhi early January. The figures made people look at Bihar anew and generated a big buzz. People began to compare Bihar with Gujarat, which Chaudhary says is ingenious.

“The growth may not be real because Bihar is not a miracle economy. The basis of the figures is also weakened after Pronab Sen, Chief Statistician of India, said it was wrong to attribute the figures to the CSO. Much of the hype created by Nitish then falls flat. It is too good to believe. All of a sudden you tell a beggar you are a rich man. If your base is low, even a little forward movement will be big,” says Chaudhary.

Chaudhary says Bihar may be shining for a few, but for the rest, Bihar is sinking. He lists the improvements: in health, law and order, and roads. He lists the non-improvements: a bureaucracy that has supreme power in a democracy, no rule of law, no land reform, no water resource management, no proper faculty in higher education, increase in scale of corruption because of more funds flow, no action against bureaucrats for graft, and distress migration.

BIHAR HAS not found panacea. If Gujarat were to start from the same base as Bihar, it would probably register 40 per cent growth. It is difficult to spot a functioning state in Bihar over the past 60 years. Not a single new area has been developed from the pre-Independence period in Bihar. There is no history of entrepreneurship for at least three generations. There is no renaissance in Bihar, now or in the past. There is no Jnanpith Award winner in Bihar. There is virtually no corporate presence. The extent of inequity is high. And yet, there is a sense of optimism. It raises the possibility that Bihar may attempt the long haul honestly this time.

Shaibal Gupta, Member-Secretary of the Asian Development Research Institute, a leading think-tank in Patna, thinks there is significance in recent events. “Why is Nitish Kumar important? He is the first chief minister of Bihar to take cognisance of the absence of the state in the state. He has succeeded marginally in the mammoth task of building state structures. He was the first to set up an Administrative Reforms Commission. He was the first to set up a Land Reforms Commission. He is starting from scratch. He is creating an atmosphere where the Prakash Jhas can flourish,” says Gupta. He says what happens in Bihar now is critical because in two years, “Each of the 600 districts in India will have a Bihari District Magistrate or Superintendent of Police”. “Bihar has moved from a ‘touch-me-not’ society to a ‘try-me-now’ society. This is a benchmark for a resistant state.”

Brand Bihar is also getting noticed because of the Bihar Foundation. Operating under the state government, the Foundation works on a simple brief of ‘bonding and branding’. It bonds by creating chapters in various cities in India and outside. The newest chapter is in Bengaluru and there are chapters in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, and in Dubai, Doha and South Korea outside India. The chapters think about what affects Biharis in their areas, and helps non-resident Biharis trace their roots and do something for where they came from.
BRAND BIHAR IS GETTING NOTICED BECAUSE OF THE BIHAR FOUNDATION. IT BONDS THROUGH CHAPTERS IN INDIA AND OUTSIDE

The theory of roots is a powerful concept. It can make strong men and women yearn for memories as children. Often, this yearning can take the shape of catharsis. Mookhesswur Choonee is Mauritius’ High Commissioner to India. He gets astonishingly sentimental when it comes to Bihar. He describes Mauritius as an “extended leg of Bihar”. He says he is proud to see how Bihar has progressed. “People often ask me are you the high commissioner of Bihar,” he says. Choonee says the prime minister of Mauritius “belongs to Bihar” and that “people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are running Mauritius”.

Anil Kumar Bachoo, Mauritius’ Minister of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport, and Shipping, can get touchier about Bihar. “In the 1970s, I was a student in Delhi. My seniors told me not to interact with anyone from Bihar because they are backward and cannot rise in life. Well, a few weeks ago, my prime minister told me to go and get some Biharis to Mauritius. We have retained in Mauritius what they have lost in Bihar. Mauritius is a little Bihar. When they catch cold in Bihar, we sneeze in Mauritius. We are proud of our roots. Bihar was the fount of civilisation. It is the torchbearer of India in future,” says Bachoo.

That may take some doing, but there are nuggets that suggest that respect for honesty and hard work may yet save Bihar. Rakesh Sharma is a businessman who rents out a community centre in downtown Patna for marriages and runs a cooking gas agency. The community centre can host a maximum of a thousand guests in comfort. “In November- December 2009, we used 20 litres diesel for the generator during power cuts. In 2008, we needed 200 litres.”

These are the parts of the whole that Nitish Kumar hopes to build of a new Bihar. For too long, the state of Bihar has not delivered. This is rock bottom. It’s a good place to start.

Bihar: 2009 - a year of promises and prejudices

2009 was a year of hope and despair, of promises and prejudices, of shocks and surprises and of course a roller-coaster on political front, as Bihar once again revolved around personalities.

Bihar stepped into the year 2009 by watching Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stepping out of Patna's concrete cocoon and discovering Bihar, as he travelled across the state- backwaters on his much-publicised Vikas Yatra.

As the year drew to a conclusion, Nitish Kumar was once again out of capital chaos to spend the year's last week in the serene surroundings of historical Rajgir where he held the last Cabinet meeting of the year atop the Ratnagiri hills at the height of 1,300 feet on December 29.

While the intent and the purpose are visible in whatever the chief minister said or did throughout the year, Nitish Kumar's attempts to reach out to people were dripped with symbolism. Perhaps therefore, whatever Nitish did was seen through a political prism.

While Kumar had launched his Vikas Yatra just before the Lok Sabha polls, his Rajgir Yatra at the end of 2009 is said to have timed with an eye on the 2010 Assembly polls.

Under the shadow of Vishwa Shanti Stupa, the last cabinet meeting of the year 2009 embossed and approved the revised pay package for government employees on the pattern of the sixth pay commission report. This almost confirmed the subtle political meanings of the Nitish's initiative.

The state exchequer would bear an additional financial burden of over Rs 3,500 crore due to revised salaries and pension component.

Of all things, General Elections 2009 was surely the biggest event of the year. Though the results further strengthened the political pecking order at the national level-with the United Progressive Alliance augmenting its lead over the BJP led National Democratic Alliance in New Delhi-Bihar adhered to a reverse order. Contrary to the national trend, the JD(U)-BJP combine swept Bihar by winning 32 of the total 40 Lok Sabha seats.

The NDA that suffered heavy losses across the country raced to the top in the two states of Bihar and Jharkhand by bagging as many as 40 seats.

In fact, the Congress party that staged an impressive comeback in New Delhi could gather only three out of the 54 Lok Sabha seats in the two states.

People in the two states clearly demonstrated a different political assessment of the political scenario.

Analysts could read various nuanced messages in the voting trends in Bihar, which clearly suggested that the two states were still largely influenced by micro issues and factors that overshadowed national issues. In short, the two states voted in the Lok Sabha polls the way they would have had voted in assembly elections.

The Lok Sabha elections in the two States also shattered many myths. For instance, RJD chief Lalu Prasad's much-vaunted political arithmetic that went horribly wrong is still billed as the biggest electoral shock of the year.

One of the high points of the General election for Bihar was electoral ineligibility of Bahubalis like Shahabuddin, Pappu Yadav, Anand Mohan and Surajbhan-who could not contest polls because of their respective convictions.

These men once ensured Bihar's drift from criminalisation of politics to politicisation of crime. But, Lok Sabha elections 2009 also decisively rejected their dummy candidates - read wife and mother.

Lalu Prasad lost Lok Sabha election to his one time friend Ranjan Prasad Yadav from Pataliputra, though he won from Saran while LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan lost his home turf, Hajipur, to his long-time rival Ram Sunder Das of JD(U).

Although temporarily, Nitish Kumar emerged as the man with the Midas touch-a man who with his shrewd calculations coupled with a new social engineering ensured electoral meltdown of biggies like Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan in the summer of 2009.

This, however, was short-lived. Three months later in September, when Bihar witnessed by-elections for 18 assembly seats, the "discredited duo" successfully turned the tables on Nitish Kumar by winning nine seats. Clearly, Lalu and Paswan clawed back to political centre stage.

The emergence of Congress as an independent political force in Bihar is also one of the major political development of the year 2009. The Congress broke electoral ties with Lalu and Paswan on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls when the two left only three seats for the grand old party.

The Congress fought alone. And since then, subsequent elections have confirmed the party's ascendance to a status of being a political force in many constituencies of Bihar with considerable rise in vote share.

In the education sector Bihar remained a viable centre for quality learning, as the already functional branches of Indian Institute of Technology, Chanakya Law University and Chandragupta Institute of Management-which were established during the earlier years- continued to draw top talents.

Besides, a panel led by Nobel laureate Amartya Sena is also in the process of setting up an international university at Nalanda. Process is underway to accord the status of central university to Rajendra Agriculture University.

The Universities in Bihar remained pockmarked with controversies with State HRD department all through 2009 kept shooting orders-including one when Vice-Chancellors and some senior officials were made to refund their salaries, as they were disallowed to use internal resources to this effect.

Many thought this actually undermined the autonomy of the education centres. University teachers in Bihar, ironically however, are still awaiting the implementation of the revised UGC pay scales.

In the year 2009, the Nitish Government in Bihar also remained involved in a series of spats with the Centre over packages for floods and drought. Nitish Kumar kept demanding special status for Bihar, a comprehensive relief package for Kosi flood and assistance for drought hit districts of the state.

Though, Bihar's lists of demands were not without merit, Nitish Kumar's insistence on blaming Centre for everything that was wrong with Bihar failed to impress anyone.

In 2009, Bihar also had the misfortune of suffering two natural disasters-flood and drought-simultaneously. In fact, at a time when 26 districts of the state were declared "calamity- hit" following scanty rainfall and drought conditions, over 10 lakh people in a different corner of the state remained grappling with flood waters.

The dichotomy was all the more pronounced with one group of farmers left with too little water while the other with too much of it. A group of relief officials trying recuing the flood hit population while the other group praying for rain, as the spectre of famine loomed large on the state.

The year 2009 also recorded some improvement in the law and order situation with conviction of over 10,000 criminals serving as a deterrent. The crime graph, however, left a lot to be desired, as in the first ninth months of the year alone the state witnessed 2438 murders, 505 dacoity, 1253 robbery, 62 kidnapping for ransom and 720 robbery incidents.

Maoists also continued their stray attacks in which over two dozen cops were killed. The police, however, succeeded in targeting the extremists and arrested several top Naxalite leaders and seized huge quantity of arms and ammunition from various places including state capital.

Highs

* Bihar initiative of reserving 50 % seats for women in Panchayat Raj Institutions and local bodies was adopted by the country
* A large number of companies and private institutions reached Bihar
* Bihar registered a quantum leap in tourism sector. Bihar Administrative Reforms Mission Society Constituted.
* The medium term growth rate of NSDP at constant prices, during the period 1999-00 to 2008-09, is estimated to be 5.57 per cent. Although this growth rate is lower than the national gowth rate of about 6-7 per cent, it indicates an improved growth performance compared to the recent past when the state economy managed to grow at barely 3-4 per cent. The per capita NSDP of Bihar has grown at 3.61 per cent. The growth rate for NSDP at constant prices has been very good for at least three sectors - Construction (21.53 per cent), Communications (16.01 per cent) and Trade, Hotels and Restaurants (12.08 per cent).
* Bihar's per centage per capita growth of 12.07 per cent is not much behind the all India per capita growth rate of 12.73 per cent.
* According to Bihar economic survey for 2008-09, State has registered impressive growth trends in three sectors in the state - construction (21.53%), communications (16.01%) and trade, hotels and restaurants (12.03%).
* Among all States and union territories, Bihar with a crime rate of 118 stood at 28th position in the country. There has been a decline in major crimes including murder (-3.2 per cent), dacoity (-10.10 per cent), robbery (-4.99 per cent), kidnapping for ransom (-23 per cent), bank robbery (-15.03 per cent), etc. during the period 2001-08. There has been a sharp decline of around 50 per cent or more in the cases of dacoity, kidnapping, road dacoity and bank robbery in 2008 over 2001.

Lows

* Bihar still mans the bottom space for having the lowest per capita income in the entire country.
* The poor form 41.5 per cent of its population; it has a poverty and hunger average of 2.7 per cent against a national average of 1.9 per cent; 58.4 per cent of its children under the age of three are underweight and only one-fourth of its population has access to public health and toilets.

Patna: P For Progress

Patna today is seen as a source of hope emerging at the grassroots, as individuals and organisations, including the government make efforts at creating a city with new commitments to bring in new vistas of opportunities, creating employment, adding colour, vision and value to every neighbourhood, business centres and the pathways that dot Bihar's capital city.

There is indeed some good news to begin with. The World Bank's Doing Business in India 2009 report has adjudged Bihar's capital city, Patna ahead of Mumbai and second only to New Delhi when it comes to launching a new business initiative.

In fact, Patna's rating is above Chennai, Kochi and Kolkata in the overall ranking for facilitating smooth business, says the World Bank Report.
title=
Kargil Chauk, Patna

In short, Patna appears promising. And even though the city still has promises to keep Patna today - the capital city of Bihar- means prosperity.

As we move towards 2010, Patna, located on the banks of Ganga, appears flooded with opportunities. The city is at the threshold of an economic renaissance, which has pushed up the paying capacity of the residents. Slowly but surely, Patna is emerging as a growth centre.

According to ASSOCHAM's study of the employment scenario in India between April and October 2009-10, Patna registered a growth of 20.52 percent in job creation.

Among the Tier II cities, Patna is placed behind Vishakapatnam (115.21 per cent), Indore (60.00 per cent), Bhubaneswar (49.49 per cent), and Jaipur (28.74 per cent) and is registering major growth in job creation during April to October 2009-10 as compare to the same period in 2008-09.

The ranking assumes special significance since cities like Bhopal, Amritsar, Gwalior and Ludhiana have witnesses a decline in job creation by 26.68 per cent, 9.60 per cent, 6.27 per cent and 3.94 per cent, respectively.

Prosperity indeed is writ large on Patna roads. The rise in number of vehicles plying on Patna roads is a huge indicator to this effect.

In the last one year, there has been a growth of 39 percent in private vehicles and 67 percent rise in the commercial vehicles plying across Patna.

In 2008-09, a total of 21,594 vehicles were registered. The number shot up to 30,229 by October 2009. 3,008 passenger vehicles were registered in 2008-09, which shot up to 5,025 till October.

In fact, Patna -- where the number of vehicles in 2007 was 1.75 lakh -- today is bustling with 2.93 lakh vehicles till October 2009 -- a rise by 67 percent in just two years.

The general perception suggests that a big thrust on development has given Bihar the forward momentum, besides increasing the money volume in the market, which has resulted in a corresponding rise in the purchasing power.

Things are looking up in Patna. The last few years have seen families having late dinner at restaurants. The shopping outlets in downtown Patna are chock-a-block, and the real estate business is booming while commanding a never before price tag in the city.

This is, however, just part of the story. Patna needs to expand, as the existing city just does not have a matching infrastructure ready to accommodate everything that the city currently has.

Patna is struggling in terms of infrastructure strength, which is inadequate to cater to the growing population. It desperately needs more flyovers, better roads and end of water-logging to join the big league of developed cities.

Several foreign financial institutions like World Bank and Asian Development Bank have offered to help Bihar towards infrastructure development under the urban development ministry.

In fact, the existing infrastructure in terms of roads and space is so grimly inadequate that the Patna High Court recently asked the Government of Bihar to speed up the decision-making process on the proposed master plan for the State Capital.

While hearing a PIL on illegal apartments, the HC also suggested the Urban development Department to take steps for developing areas adjoining Patna to ease pressure on the State capital.

The good news is that the Urban Development Department has plans to develop Maner and Fatuha as satellite towns and also improves Hajipur and Sonepur in order to shift the population pressure coming to Patna urban area.

The Patna Regional Development Authority (PRDA) has charted out a plan to this effect, although the pace of its implementation has left a lot to be desired.

In fact, if the authorities including the city planners succeed in developing Patna in accordance with the requirements of time, the capital of Bihar will surely be a place to watch in the coming future.

The Patna Urban Agglomeration Area had a population of 16.98 lakhs as per the 2001 Census while the municipal corporation area of Patna had a population of 13.66 lakh (2001 Census).

The population of the Urban Agglomeration Area is expected to be 22.50 lakhs in the year 2011 and 28.01 lakhs in the year 2021. In addition the floating population who commute from districts to the Patna Urban Agglomeration Area each day is expected to be 3.00 lakhs by 2021 against around 2.00 lakhs at present.

In the years to come the existing planned residential area of 8938 hectares would go up to 14,609.57 hectares in another decade. At present, the planned residential area in Patna is 641 hectares while for apartments it is 242 hectares.

By 2021, the face of the city will change dramatically. There are plans of expanding the residential area to 8014.70 hectares. Correspondingly, the commercial space will go up to 514.9 hectares whereas 1073.91 hectares of space is to be earmarked for community space.

In addition to this, over 3000 hectares of green land, 1709.44 hectares of internal roads and 88.74 hectares of infrastructure area are to be created.

The authorities have planned to increase the areas for clubs, cinema halls, theatres, parks and playgrounds to 990 hectares from the existing 224 hectares.

Similarly in a decade to come, efforts would be made to reduce the existing land occupied by administrative offices of the government, educational and medical institutions, religious, archaeological and historical sites and graveyards and cremation ghats -- which is currently over 691 hectares There will be 800 hectares of 30 and 20-metre wide roads.

The area for clubs, cinema halls, theatres, parks and playgrounds is to be increased from 224 to over 990 hectares. There is a proposal for 60 metre-wide roads in Patna occupying a space of over 681.98 hectares,

All this, however, is yet to happen. But, the plan surely gives an idea that a focussed development and expansion of Patna is on the cards.

Being surrounded by three rivers, Patna also has a constraint of growth on the northern side due to River Ganga, southern side due to River Punpun and eastern due to Sone.

Moreover the topography of Patna is like a saucer due to the surrounding three rivers and thus drainage of the city poses as a major problem and pumping of water our seems to be the only solution at present. The city is also prone to flooding.

The Human Development Index (HDI) in Patna, however, needs some focussed thrust. The HDI is the more widely used means of measuring well being, which takes into account additional indicators like per capita income, along with life expectancy and literacy rate of a society.

Life expectancy in Bihar is 61 years, almost on par with the national life expectancy of 62.7 years. Patna's capita gross district domestic product of Rs 31,441. Patna also has the highest per capita saving in the state at Rs 675, highest per-capita fuel consumption and the highest per capita income at Rs 6,958.

Across the state, the city also has highest per capita spending share on health and education (in 2006-07) at Rs 674 and Rs 5,633. The literacy rate of Patna Urban Agglomeration area is 68.9%, which is higher than the literacy rate of the State i.e. 47.53%.

The state government also appears to making some concentrated efforts by increased expenditure on social services to improve the HDI (Human Development Indices). There are attempts at providing better access to basic education, health services, safe drinking water, sanitation, housing etc.

In Bihar, the total expenditure on social services in 2008 has gone up to Rs 10666 crore (35 percent salary component), which is up from 4197 crore of 2003-04.

It includes health and family welfare, water supply, sanitation, housing and urban development, education, sports, arts & culture and other social services.

In fact, in 2007-08, the total expenditure on social services was more than one third of the total expenditure and 48 percent of the total development expenditure.

These efforts may positively impact the ground situation, as Bihar has been at the lowest position among the major states in India in 1981, 1991 and 2001. The same pattern is replete in its ranking with respect to Per Capita Income.

The spin offs of the prosperity is also visible across the board with Patna people expressing a pronounced consumer behaviour with larger disposable income.

The megatrend of consumerism is revamping Patna's economic structure, besides fuelling business growth in the city. Similarly, the retail industry here is also developing fast with improving business environment and rising income levels.

No wonder, Patna has also caught the attention of real estate developers, and a number of projects in both the segments of commercial and residential are underway.

However, the demands for space have come from sectors like banking, insurance, finance, telecom, coaching and educational institutes etc. According to an estimate, more than 10 million sq ft structure is being created to meet the demand.

Patna has also witnessed a huge influx of business organisations coming to the city, while the existing ones have been on an expansion mode thus generating hundreds of jobs in the private sector.

Advantage of cost is one big factor that makes Patna a preferred destination for business and real estate activities. At times when capital values at metros go as high as Rs 30,000 per sq ft, prices here are seemingly moderate.

In terms of retail business, although many big names are yet to set up shops in Patna but huge departmental stores like Vishal Mega Mart, Patliputra Shoppers Plaza, and Khetan Super Market have already emerged successful in drawing huge number of consumers.

Quite a few mall-cum-multiplexes are also likely to come up in a year time at Patna. These malls will have exclusive shops, showrooms and offices, besides silver screens with excellent acoustics, coffee house, and food court, with escalators and capsule lift.

From a production Market focussed on rest of the country, Patna is turning into an equally good consumption market much more focussed on selling to itself.

Clearly, what's happening in Patna is by far the most important development in Bihar. The policy makers want to develop Patna for rest of the state to follow. Patna has begun its journey.

SWOT Analysis

Strength: Advantage of large labour force. Well developed service sector. In fact, the Economy is witnessing a shift towards services, much before industrialisation, mostly driven by a buoyant urban economy

Weakness: Unavailability of land

Opportunity: Huge potential for tourism, as the city has a large variety of historical monuments (Like Golghar) from Maurya to Gupta age and down to the Colonial British Rule. It is the gateway to the Buddhist & Jain pilgrim centres of Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda, Bodhgaya and Pawapuri.

Patna can also develop as a major education centre. New centres of Indian Institute of Technology and National Institute of Fashion Technology are already here, besides an extension centre of BIT Mesra and a good business school, Chandragupta Institute of Management.

Threat: Poor infrastructure, poor HDI in addition to a negative sex ratio 873 female against 1000 males.

The Biggest Brand: There are many in Patna. But all debates over being the biggest brand in Patna stands settled with Hotel Maurya, which stands heads and shoulders above others.

Set up in 1978, Hotel Maurya, Patna, is a pioneering project of Bihar Hotels Limited (BHL) that has generated foreign exchange for the state of over Rs. 34 million. Located on a two and a half acre plot in the prime commercial area of Patna, the Maurya hasl almost everything -- food outlets, four conference, banquet facilities, swimming pool, gym -- to make it a complete experience.

Nitish’s A-team: Bihari babus show their mettle

Many in Bihar say Pratyay Amrit’s name should be entered into Guinness World Records for helming a sick corporation which built the highest

number of road bridges in a year. As Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam's CMD, this 1991-batch IAS officer oversaw completion of 259 major bridge projects in three years since 2006. In view of its success, the nigam has now been given responsibilities like road and hospital construction, among other things. “Now we are out of debt, making handsome profits and are also spending crores on philanthropy as part of our CSR (corporate social responsibility),” a nigam official says.

Pratyay delivered. So have others in chief minister Nitish Kumar’s A-team, who were chosen for their competence. Earlier as principal secretary (finance) and now as development commissioner, Navin Kumar has been the chief strategist in financial matters. Known for his sobriety, the 1975-batch IAS officer is the man behind the state’s budget drafts and also the all-important memorandum to the finance commission. He also heads the State Investment Planning Board, formed by the Nitish government to attract investment. The board mobilized proposals worth Rs 96,000 crore in just three years.

R K Singh was the builder during the initial years of the Nitish regime. Currently secretary (defence production) at
the Centre, the 1975-batch officer was the architect of the development of the state’s road network as principal secretary, road construction.

Madan Mohan Jha was specially brought in from central deputation. As HRD boss, he initiated the move to recruit over two lakh teachers on contract. He also conceptualized several other projects. After his untimely death in 2007, Anjani Kumar Singh has been brought in as HRD principal secretary to complete his unfinished work.
While Deepak Kumar managed the key health department for the first three years, Afzal Amanullah's three-year tenure as home secretary is still remembered for the bold initiative to rein in criminals, including politicians of Nitish’s JD(U). The 1979-batch officer now looks after urban development.

Anup Mukherjee, as rural development department head, supervised implementation of poverty alleviation schemes, including NREGA, and won accolades for the state even from the Centre. The 1974-batch officer, who believes in working quietly, is the state’s chief secretary today.

Bureaucrat-turned-MP N K Singh is also an important player in Nitish's team. Not only does he give ideas to the CM, but he is also credited with successfully showcasing Bihar in the country and abroad.

BACKROOM BOYS : During the Lalu-Rabri regime, a single bureaucrat called the shots at the CM’s office. The change of guard brought a tech-savvy team to manage the affairs. Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, 52, the CM’s principal secretary, has been associated with Nitish Kumar since 1998 when the latter was railway minister. Both Nitish and RCP, a 1984-batch IAS officer of UP cadre, are from Nalanda and belong to the same caste. Insiders say Nitish treats RCP like a family member.

Nitish also banks heavily on S Siddharth (1991 batch) and Chanchal Kumar (1992 batch). As secretaries to the CM, they coordinate with principal secretaries of various departments and oversee implementation of welfare and development programmes. Siddharth, from Tamil Nadu, is a BTech and has attended advanced courses at IIM-Ahmedabad. Chanchal, an MTech, has also studied micro-finance in the US.

There’s a clear division of work. While Siddharth looks after infrastructure departments like road, building, urban development and energy, Chanchal has been assigned social sector departments like education, health, social welfare and disaster management.

Pride and Prejudice

Who carries you on a rickshaw or an autorickshaw in Delhi? Biharis. Who drives the cars of Delhiites? Biharis. Who built the Delhi Metro? Biharis. (You may not agree with the last one.)

Who is building the new houses and the expanding suburbs of Delhi? Biharis. Who made Punjab the most prosperous state in the country? The answer again is Biharis. (Here too you may not agree.)

The credit for building the Delhi Metro or making Punjab prosperous will never go to Biharis. Does anyone ever say that blacks built America?

In colonial days, Bihar supplied the girmitiya, or indentured, labourers who built countries like Mauritius, Suriname and Fiji. A bulk of the labour employed in the Raj capital of Calcutta came from Bihar. After Independence Bihari workers flocked to places like Delhi, Punjab and Mumbai.

At the same time, Biharis excelled in other fields. Many became great political leaders, ICS and IAS officers, scientists, doctors, engineers, writers and artists. Delhi and other Indian cities attracted huge white-collar Bihari populations and Biharis formed a large part of the Indian diaspora of professionals.

But in the eyes of the rest of India, “Bihari” had come to mean a labourer, a person doing menial jobs. It had become a term of scorn and contempt. In their anglicized lingo, places like Delhi University turned the word into “Harry”, but the pejorative tone remained unmistakable.

Heaping scorn on the working classes is a universal phenomenon. That is how words like Negro, Paki (used for Pakistanis and Indians in Britain) and some of the words denoting dalit castes in India earned contemptuous connotations.

In fact, while Biharis were getting their hands dirty on Punjab’s farms, Punjabis were migrating in hordes to the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. Never mind that they would take up blue-collar jobs as taxi drivers, petrol pump attendants and waiters in those faraway lands.

As the years passed, many of the Biharis who had come to Punjab or Mumbai as manual labourers started moving up the economic ladder as did the blue-collar Indian emigrants abroad. A usually unnoticed aspect of the so-called racial attacks against Indians abroad is the threat the rise of working classes poses to the entrenched social order. This accentuates the contempt they face. From this angle, the attacks on Biharis in Punjab, and Mumbai, and the attacks on Indians abroad are manifestations of the same phenomenon.

What stopped Biharis from bringing about a green revolution or building a Metro in Bihar? The answer is geography and history. Geography, because ravaged by floods, the land of Bihar was unable to feed its growing population. And history, because what was the centre of the biggest Indian empire in ancient times was reduced to an obscure provincial existence. The skewed landownership system introduced by the British rulers worsened the situation.

Things could have improved after Independence had the political leadership of Bihar been able to exert influence on the rulers in New Delhi to get enough funds for development projects and set off a process of industry in the state.
On the contrary, Bihar continued to live the same, conveniently ignored, provincial existence. A system built on casteism, nepotism, corruption and crime came to dominate the state. It spawned a neo-rich class of netas, babus, contractors and government engineers who would build palatial houses for themselves with the money meant for dams, power projects, ration for the poor or even fodder for cattle.

The money meant for roads and public amenities would go into their bank accounts. No wonder, the roads in front of those houses would be full of ditches and become the playground of pigs every monsoon.

With limited options of higher education and hardly any employment opportunities in the state, the youth of Bihar started looking out. They flooded places like Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. They started dominating the country’s toughest competitions like the IIT-JEE and the civil services exam. With this success, Biharis started believing they had the best brains. The world began to grudgingly acknowledge their capabilities.
Academic success, however, did not do much to rid the word “Bihari” of the scorn it had gathered. People in Delhi continued to laugh at those who spoke with a Bihari accent. Those without an accent would get this compliment: “Oh, you are from Bihar? But you don’t sound like a Bihari.”

Biharis, meanwhile, were retreating into a shell, with little but the historic glory of Buddha, Mahavira, Chandragupta, Chanakya, Ashoka, Aryabhatta, Guru Gobind Singh and Sher Shah to bask in. Now comes 11% growth. The state can recover from the damage it has suffered over hundreds of years only if such a high rate of growth can be sustained for many, many years. Then Biharis would not have to till others' land or build cities and countries elsewhere.

Bihar, a growth story

Roads “as smooth as Hema Malini’s cheeks” was a promise that Lalu Yadav had once given to the people of Bihar. Ironically, it is his rival Nitish

Kumar who seems to be delivering on that front. Despite three years of floods followed by a year of drought, ‘backward and benighted’ Bihar reports a miraculous figure: 11% GDP growth, second only to Gujarat. The state’s economy has never grown so fast so consistently as it has since 2004-2005. A few pointers on what’s going right in Bihar:

* Getting anywhere in Bihar has always been an exercise in endurance. But that’s changing. More than 6,800 km of roads have been relaid and 1,600 bridges and culverts constructed in the last four years. Journey time in India’s 12th largest state, sprawling over 94,163 sq km, has been cut by half today in many places. Now, most of the state’s 38 districts — from northernmost West Champaran to Kaimur on the western end — are a drive of six hours or less from Patna.

* Automobile sales in the state grew 45% in 2009, at a time when sales had dipped 20-25% in several other states during the economic slowdown. Is this buying spree an indication that a section of Biharis have more money to splurge than they did earlier? “A few people had money earlier too, but they didn’t flaunt it for fear of attracting extortionists and kidnappers,” says Ranjit Singh, director of a high-end Patna hotel. That fear may have evaporated now.

* Only 317 kidnappings for ransom were reported during the last four years as against 1,393 during the previous four. The kidnapping industry has clearly fallen on hard times. One indication of this is that doctors no longer refuse to go to patients’ homes on emergency calls. “Today you can see boards at clinics saying we go on calls,” says Dr Amulya Kumar Singh, who runs a nursing home in Patna.

* Most of Bihar’s infamous dons are behind bars. That includes Mohd Shahabuddin, the former RJD MP who had once gone live on TV, daring the state police chief to arrest him. Things are a little different now. A ruling JD(U) MLA, Sunil Pandey, attempted an encore of sorts in early 2006 when he brandished a revolver and talked murder on TV. But Pandey found himself behind bars within no time. Speedy trials have ensured a total of 38,824 convictions between 2006 and September 2009.The convicts included dons and their henchmen.

* Gun-toting strongmen are no longer a common sight on the streets of Bihar. Policemen patrol them now. And places like Siwan, where Shahabuddin once held sway, do not get deserted after dusk.

This improvement has shown results. Malls, shops and private educational institutions are coming up. So are mobile service providers and banking firms. It’s boom time for real estate with apartment buildings coming up all around. “That’s because even non-Biharis for a change want to have a foot in Bihar which has become a better place to live in,” says economist Shaibal Gupta of the Asian Development Research Institute. Adds Faizal Alam of Kalyanpur Cements, “Cement inflow to the state went up 18% to 51 lakh tonnes in 2008-09.” That’s an indicator of the construction boom.

Ironically, this economic growth has happened without any worthwhile contribution from the manufacturing sector. The state’s economy is growing because of a boom in agriculture and services sectors. “It’s government-induced growth,” admits Bihar Industries Association (BIA) president S P Sinha. According to former BIA president K P S Keshri, private investments in the manufacturing sector have been as little as Rs 1,500 crore during the last four years.

Many attribute the growth to the fact that the flow of Central funds to states has increased manifold in recent years. In the case of Bihar, it went up from Rs 37,341 crore during the five-year period 2000-2005 to Rs 55,459 crore during the next three years. But equally importantly, the funds are now getting better utilized than during the Lalu-Rabri regime when large chunks remained unspent. Also, adds Gupta, the state made concerted efforts to mobilise internal resources with its own revenue collection going up from Rs 2,919 crore in 2003-04 to Rs 5,256 crore in 2008-09.

The flip side is that much of this growth does not get reflected in social indicators which remain abysmal. But, as Gupta says, it would be unrealistic for anyone to “expect the moon” at this stage. “Right now the fundamentals are getting corrected and therefore you can find mostly infrastructural indicators of growth; one will have to wait for social indicators to become visible,” he says.

While contractors and realtors stand to gain, more than half the state’s 8.2 crore people — 1.25 crore families — still live below the poverty line. For these families to prosper, Bihar desperately needs huge investments and more growth. The State Investment Promotion Board, formed by the Nitish government, has received proposals worth Rs 96,000 crore. But most of them, especially the major ones, remain on paper as Central rules prove a stumbling block. For instance, thermal power plants cannot come up in Bihar because the Centre has so far refused to provide coal linkages to ensure regular supplies to any such new plant.

Also, Bihar has a lot of catching up to do with the rest of India. “There cannot be any comparison between Gujarat and Bihar, both of which reportedly grew by over 11%; since our base is low, even a small investment results in impressive growth in percentage,” Gupta points out. State officials admit that crucial sectors like health are still sick with meagre resources in comparison to other states.

From its bleak past, Bihar may be finally moving towards a brighter future, but the common Bihari is not patting himself just yet. Maybe he is still waiting for this high growth to translate into better food on his table and more money in his pocket.

Patna Police turns matchmakers

They have always been 'criminal-catchers'. But now, Bihar's policemen are turning expert matchmakers as well.

The state's crime graph may have witnessed a sharp decline in recent times - as claimed by none other than Chief Minister Nitish Kumar - but that has not taken the load off the police.

In fact, they are often busy with another equally challenging responsibility - help lovers torn apart by family opposition get married.

On November 25, the policemen at Khajekalan in Patna solemnised the wedding of such a couple on the station premises. Alka and Akash Bharati had faced strong opposition from their families because they belonged to different castes.

Alka, a resident of Bela in Gaya district, reached Akash's home in the Lodi Katra locality of Patna on Wednesday. She had run away from home. She told Akash's family she would kill herself if anyone tried to play villain in her love story.

Sensing the threat was not an empty one, Akash's family took her to the police station. Alka told the police she and Akash had been in love for more than two years and wanted to get married.

The daughter of a railway employee, Alka was Akash's neighbour before her father was transferred to Gaya. The couple fell in love and remained in touch even after Alka left for Gaya.

When Alka repeated her suicide threat before station house officer Vinod Kumar, the police called Akash.

He supported Alka. The police then verified their certificates - to confirm their age - and advised them to go for court marriage with the consent of their families.

But probably fearing opposition outside the station premises, the couple said they wanted to get married immediately.

Their wish was granted and they were taken to a nearby temple for the ceremony.

Instead of family members, the couple sought blessings from the police for a happy future.

This is not an isolated example of police turning marriage pandits in Bihar. Recently, about eight weddings have been arranged by the men in khaki in different parts of Bihar.

On October 13, the Gardanibagh police helped a teenager, Pallavi Sinha, marry her boyfriend Prem Kumar. Once again, caste difference and financial status had turned their parents against the match. In this case, the local police didn't stop with the wedding.

They went ahead and hosted a reception at the police station.

The Malsalami police had helped Rakesh and his longtime girlfriend, Jyoti Kumari, unite on August 12, 2008.

Jyoti's family was dead against her marrying an illiterate auto- rickshaw driver, but the police obviously found such parental concerns unnecessary.

On April 8, 2008, a woman constable Vidya Devi from Agamkuan police station got 22-year-old Radha married to Ram Lalit Kotwal amid much fanfare. Radha had been abandoned by her family for falling in love with Kotwal.

Though the Bihar Police are flooded with complaints of young girls being abducted, a majority of them turn out to be cases of elopement. In 2008 alone, 214 abduction cases were found to be false.

Akshay's film based on Bihari engineer's murder

Priyadarshan new comedy Khatta Meetha starring Akshay Kumar has been altered to accommodate newspaper headlines. The film is now based on the mysterious 2009 murder of Bihar PWD engineer Yogendra Pandey who was allegedly killed by the crime cartel controlling the road construction business in the state. His body was found on June 18, 2009. Akshay Kumar plays the murdered engineer’s colleague who helps to bring the culprits to book. Priyan says, “My film has now become the story of Bihar’s road mafia. Makrand Deshpande plays the murdered engineer while Akshay plays his colleague.”

Initially, the film was based on Priyan’s 1988 drama Vellanakalude Nadu. “Initially, Khatta Meetha was based on the road mafia and corruption in the construction business but at that point of time, it was entirely fictional.” It was Akshay who suggested that the film be contemporised by bringing in Pandey’s notorious death. Priyan says, “We brought in the whole story of the death of the honest road engineer in Bihar who was apparently killed by the corrupt road mafia when he threatened to expose their wrongdoings. We introduced Makrand’s character based on Yogendra Pandey and Akshay as the friend and colleague who uncovers the bloody trail.”

Priyan and Akshay have hit on a new formula to counter the charge of making mindless comedies. Khatta Meetha being shot in dusty Satara at the moment blends satire with a social message. Priyan adds, “I think I’ll be doing this kind of a mixture of social comment and satire more often. In Khatta Meetha we took up a very serious and disturbing crime situation in Bihar but treated it lightly. No one wants to watch grim films anymore. We just have to find a way of letting the audience know what’s actually going on in the world while transporting them into a make-believe world at the same time.”

Akshay Kumar went out of his way to complete this film. “We did it in 90 days at a stretch. Akshay believes we’ve been able to do something important here. The message comes through the comedy,” said Priyan.